Monday, December 13, 2010

Review: Wind and Fire

Goodreads.com synopsis: Zardonne, Master of the Dark Rift, has ripped a hole in the fabric of Tellaron and invaded with an army of hideous demons. Oblivious to the dangers and evil brewing beyond the borders of the quiet Ardis Valley where she lives, nineteen year old Tenya toils through a life of dreary loneliness and drudgery plagued by strange, disturbing visions, yearning desperately for the beautiful mother she had not seen since she was three. Her life is abruptly turned upside down when she is abducted in the middle of the night and sent on a perilous journey that will test her courage and the fledgling powers buried deep within her. For not only does she discover that her missing mother, Elea, is a powerful sorceress able to control the forces of the wind, Tenya also learns that she herself possesses a singing power that manifests itself as white fire throughout her body. Can she find her mother, and the strength to use her own powers, in time to save Tellaron from the evil Demon Master? Her world depends upon it.

I was contacted by the author, Cheryl Landmark, and agreed to review an e-book copy of her novel Wind and Fire.
This novel was surprisingly short considering the length of most epic fantasy books. However, this may have helped in keeping the plot moving along while maybe losing a little in actual world building. Wind and Fire is your standard epic/quest good vs evil type of fantasy that introduces us to Tenya, our 16 year old heroine, who missing her mother, is constantly bullied by her step-mother and dealing with an emotionally absent father. After Tenya is basically sold by her step-mother to a travelling hag who happens to be in the employ of the Demon Master himself, Tenya finds herself facing some pretty big obstacles and is surprised to find that she is up to the challenge. Helped along by the allies she meets during her quest, Tenya tries to use her budding powers and the visions that are her one connection to her mother to seek out and confront Zardonne, and help to free those who he has imprisoned. I would have liked to have been able to connect more with Tenya as a character, but I still very much enjoyed reading about her journey.
Overall, I think that this was an admirable effort from debut author Cheryl Landmark. Despite the rather uninspired cover and some clunky wording, the story itself was quite intriguing. I think with a little more word building and character development, Wind and Fire would have been amazing. As it is, I consider it a very good novel and would recommend it to any fan of epic fantasy who is looking for a quick read. And I truly look forward to seeing more of Landmark's future work.

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FTC Disclaimer- I do receive some books directly from authors/publishers for review purposes only. Each review posted is my own personal opinion and any books I do accept for review are not guaranteed a positive review. I do not receive any monetary gain from reviewing or promoting these books.